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Show WHY LEAD tS SO LOW IN AMERICA. Sir We hear many complaints of tbe price to which lead has fallen in ibis country, but I hope your readers have read, marked, learned, and inwardly in-wardly digested the statements made last week by the chairman of the Richmond company. In order to call their attention to it more pointedly, point-edly, I will ask you to reproduce it: "In the report at the end of the fifth paragraph you will find a few words, but those few words contain a great deal that is very important for the interests of this company. The words I allude to are these : ' that but for the present low price of lead tbia profit would have been much greater.' You will understand un-derstand the force of these worfis, gentlemen, when I tell you that our profit would have been no less than 60 per cent, greater. The diflerenoe io the price of lead baa made a difference differ-ence to our profits, in six months, of no less a Bum than jEoO.OOO, which is, as near as possible, 50 per cent, upon tne profit we really have made. We formerly used to get six cents a pound, which ia 24 a ton for lead in iNew York, whereaa we can now only get 8 cents, or .14, so that the fait in lead makes a difference to us of 10 a ton, and, as we have made in the period 5.G00 tons, this represents a loss, as I have said, of 56,000." Later on in his speech he said that the company used to get 24 a ton, but that now with difficulty they get 14. It ia a fact that there is no metal which, in the United Suites, haa fluctuated so much in price as lead. Fifteen years ago it was worth $110 per thousand pounds, while today it is dull at less than $20 per thousand. In 1S5S it sold at the mines at $18, while forty years ago, when the northern mines were first opened, $G and 9 was considered con-sidered a fair price. But at that time transportation was difficult and expensive. It is lower to-day than it has been for twenty yeara, and in tact ia below its intrinsic value. It is said that over-production is tbe cause of this depression, but that is not the prime reason. Now, the reason thai lead is so low is that much less is being used for the preparation of paini, into which the main bulk of the ore is made. There is, however, very little competition, and the object is to keep down the price aa low as possible. lam, oto., No MouoroLY. Loudon Mining World, |